

Bass Player: Emma Anzai

Bands & Artists: Sick Puppies

Home: Los Angeles, California

Emma Anzai 2

How have you been passing time during the lockdown?

It took a minute to get down a routine, to be honest. At first it was basics, like getting groceries and enjoying small victories like scoring toilet paper and paper towels. Now I'm getting into a new swing, working on doing what we can to figure out bits and pieces of the new album. Working out has been a positive to have right now because, you know—food has become quite the thing to do!


What's inspiring me lately is coming up with new musical ideas, like beats, and writing bass lines to it. I’m trying to be experimental with it; for example, Here's a weird beat. What bass line would not be the obvious choice?


Oddly enough, Bob Dylan has popped up again in my life. He has the sound of an era, and it's very nice right now.

What bass gear have you been playing and trying out?

I'm thoroughly enjoying all things Darkglass lately. Neural DSP makes a plug-in of a couple of Darkglass pedals, which is great to tweak and record with. My full set up is a Warwick Streamer Stage 1, a Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra, and Ampeg amps.


I've been using battle ropes to work out with, they're heavy and a great way to condition. As for TV shows, Homeland has been a massive source of comfort for me. There's also a show on Hulu I enjoy called High Fidelity.


The focus has been on finishing and releasing the new Sick Puppies album. We had the pleasure of working with [producer and Goldfinger guitarist] John Feldmann on a lot of the songs and that was truly a highlight; he’s a great guy who is super talented.


Don't worry if you're not feeling productive and you feel all over the place, it's normal. It's a weird time. Don't be too hard on yourself, even if you see everyone else seemingly having it all together. The chances are they’re struggling too.

Follow Emma: Here

All check-ins compiled and edited by Jon D'Auria and Chris Jisi